Like any jump you need to match your angle to the landing. The problem is that on hips that angle will change depending on how fast, high, and far you go. Also the shape of the launch and how you come off of it changes that angle. It's something you just start super small on and work up.

Like any jump you need to match your angle to the landing. The problem is that on hips that angle will change depending on how fast, high, and far you go. Also the shape of the launch and how you come off of it changes that angle. It's something you just start super small on and work up.

That's the part I'm stuck on right now. I can go small, and land them no problem. But I want to know the angle the board should be pointing at when I go bigger/faster. So are you saying that the bigger/faster I go, the more of a 45degree angle the board has to be with the landing?

Also, I can go small and land fine going backside air, I'm goofy. I'm still trying to get the hang of going frontside, it still feels a little weird.

Approach the jump at high speed. As you close to within about 20 feet, lose control and fall forward. Be sure to hit the jump head first, burying yourself down to mid-chest. Optionally bury your arms as well. To properly bone the trick, make your body go rigid so your legs stick straight out for a few seconds before going limp.

Anyway, that's how I've always done it.

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There is no exact science on this. You have to treat each hip individually and ride it a few time to get the feel dialed in. Every night they groom the hill, the pitch will likely change so you will also need to redial things in the next day. Your best bet is to "eyeball" things and use your best guess while going a little smaller. Once you have the feel of it down, you can go bigger and you will sort of "instinctively" know what is right. Like a lot of freestyle, this is more of intuitive thing than an analytical one. Just start small then ramp things up and do this every day you ride the feature.

+1

Hips are easy to progress on because there's usually not far to go to get to the landing (unlike some kickers). The only thing to watch out for depending on the hip is not too take too much of an angle off the side of the lip itself. As said, start off small. Don't go off the lip at a 45 degree angle if you're hitting it with speed or you'll just land flat. When you hit one fast, you want to go straighter up the lip. If you hit it at an angle like 45 degrees or so, you're going to be traveling away from the landing while you're in the air.

I've seen some kids here hitting a small-ish hip and not landing because they are not rotating their board and body into the same slope direction as the landing itself too, I don't mean the angle of the landing itself, I mean the direction the landing slope is running from the top of it. You can't aim to land the same direction you took off, chances are you'll either come out on your heels or your toes. Even though you're moving with forward momentum, you still have to get that board rotated to land stable.

If this is the problem, think of it like this. If you just stood at the top of the hips landing like you're about to drop in, which direction would your board be facing if you rode down it?

that's good advice. also, i agree with snowolf that you have to kinda take each one a bit differently. hips seem to pop you more,so the the faster you're going, and the more air you want, the straighter you want to hit it. really, you can hit a hip almost straight on, and still be able to hit the landing if you simply take off on a bit of an edge. also, i personally try to hit hips similarly to pipes, in that you land slightly on your uphill edge.

I wasn't worried too much about the takeoff/approach part. But it's good to know that I should hit it straighter when I go faster. Thanks for everyone's input. I'll take all of them with me on the mountain, whenever the hell that happens.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deviant

+1
I've seen some kids here hitting a small-ish hip and not landing because they are not rotating their board and body into the same slope direction as the landing itself too, I don't mean the angle of the landing itself, I mean the direction the landing slope is running from the top of it. You can't aim to land the same direction you took off, chances are you'll either come out on your heels or your toes. Even though you're moving with forward momentum, you still have to get that board rotated to land stable.

If this is the problem, think of it like this. If you just stood at the top of the hips landing like you're about to drop in, which direction would your board be facing if you rode down it?

That's exactly what I was trying to figure out. I thought for some reason that if I go bigger/faster and point my board towards the same angle/slope as the landing(after take off/in air), that my forward momentum(from the takeoff) would cause me to wash out or eat it when i hit the landing. Thanks for the tip.

That's exactly what I was trying to figure out. I thought for some reason that if I go bigger/faster and point my board towards the same angle/slope as the landing(after take off/in air), that my forward momentum(from the takeoff) would cause me to wash out or eat it when i hit the landing. Thanks for the tip.

A lot of hips at resorts will be sloped sideways from the lip but will still have some forward direction to it, you'll know when you're in the air if you're rotated too far forward, but once you land it one time it will become a breeze.

when i hit them, regardless of how fast i'm going, i go pretty much straight up the lip and take off right at the corner, then put your weight towards the landing and you should be able to tell what angle to land at to flow through

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